My Forever Valentine
by TheWeasleyBoys
Summary: After more than fifty years together, their romantic flame refused to go out.


**Disclaimer:** I owe nothing pertaining to the Twilight series or the movies either now in theaters, or yet to come along to said theaters. I would like an Alice plushie, though. [sniffle]

**Author's Note:** I would have loved to submit this on time, but as luck would have it, I ran into a band of Lycans in the woods near my house and was forced to play nine rounds of Scrabble with them. This one-shot is hereby a few days late, so uh…blame Lucian. _

P.S. I haven't gotten to 'Eclipse' or 'Breaking Dawn' yet. Once I do and I read both of them more than once, I'll make the necessary corrections to anything that looks inaccurate. And so, without further adieu…

My Forever Valentine

In the small town of Forks, Washington, Valentine's Day began the same way it had for the past several years. Men and women alike were faced with a temperature of forty-three degrees and a morning of high cloud cover, causing them to both bundle up tight and leave their sunglasses at home. Displays of roses, cards, chocolates, and other romantic gifts were featured prominently in shop windows, attracting the eyes of any and all passersby who would later buy them and take them home for their respective sweethearts. Today was a day for weddings, first dates, candlelit dinners, romantic movies at home and in theaters, and perhaps even a surprise visit from family members and friends.

Or at least, that's how it was off in the human world.

In the world that waited outside the town, deep in a forest of wildflowers, ferns, and tall cedar trees, a single house remained standing as strong as it had in the distant past, unaffected by construction, deforestation, or any other human act of replacing one thing with another. This was the Cullen House, the special sanctuary of the immortals, one of the few places they could be themselves without attracting any undue attention from the people living below. A total of eight vampires and one half-vampire had come and gone from that area in the courses of their lives, and all of them had left their mark upon the house in one way or another.

There were many reminders of decades past to be found there—a large collection of graduation caps arranged into a modern display of light and dark, pieces of antique furniture set in the same rooms as high-definition television sets and flat-screen computers, and digitally recorded copies of classic piano concertos. Most of all, there were the thousands of photographs kept hidden from prying eyes; each showing the same group of people in clothing of various time periods, flowing silently from black and white to color as the technology advanced. While the expressions and numbers of these people changed over time, there was one thing that remained the same, and that was their unwavering dedication to the family.

Nowhere was this sense more evident than through the arrangement of photographs they kept in plain sight upon the walls, a few steps away from the main entrance. First came the images of the oldest couple of the family, a blond-haired man and a caramel-haired woman posed as walking hand in hand. In the middle were the second and third couples, each having one blond member and one dark-haired member matched together, standing as close to each other as they wished. And last but not least, there was an old member of the family joined with the newest member, their union made all the more real with the picture of the little girl at the bottom, her quicker age progression disguised with a three-year-old's face instead of the seven- or eight-year-old she appeared to be nowadays.

Upon this morning, one of those blondes looked over these photos in a contented silence, quietly recalling to himself all of the events that brought them to this point in time. So many dangers had crossed their path not long after the arrival of the human girl, and with them came the fear that the entire family would either be publically exposed for what they were, or worse, finally sent to their eternal resting places. They had all been in danger of losing their lives many times, and yet they faced such challenges head-on, ultimately overcoming them with courage, loyalty, and most importantly, with love.

And for these reasons as well as this holiday, seven of the nine family members had momentarily gone their separate ways. Carlisle and Esme were vacationing on their special island, far from attracting any surprised human eyes. Emmett and Rosalie would have made it back to Europe by now, give or take another private house about to be wrecked from their 'passion'. Edward, Bella, and Renesmée would spend the day at their cottage this year, an announcement they had shared with the rest of the family approximately two days ago. As for Jasper, one of the two remaining vampires in the Cullen house, his own celebrations seemed to be off to a bizarre start. He'd hoped to surprise Alice with a custom-made gift from the local jeweler, yet today, she was acting a bit strange…_er_.

"No, no, don't come up here yet," she'd called from the stairwell the moment she heard him come inside. "My surprise isn't ready! Can you wait about five minutes, and stay where you are?"

"Of course," he called back, and willingly waited at the bottom of the stairs, turning his back just in case she thought he'd been peeking. Counting the seconds in his mind, he'd heard a rushing sound at the far end of the staircase, another coming down the stairs, and a third going back the way it came before a door closed with a small _thud_. Finally, when he'd reached the number zero, he turned back to face the staircase to find a double line of rose petals spread upon each of the twenty-four steps; half of them bright red, the rest a pale shade of yellow. It was an unmistakable perfect arrangement of color, for it attracted his attention on the spot and caused him to follow that little trail into the corridor above. Along the way, a sudden rush of affection struck him like a wave against the breakers, washing over him and filling him up with its warmth and purity.

_Of course._

He knew the reason for this little game in an instant, as well as the source of all the mystery. The fourteenth of February, the most romantic day of the year…and she'd decided to celebrate it by claiming the house to herself for that afternoon. Or, more specifically, the house she'd reserved for them both.

This feeling grew stronger as he reached the top of the stairs, walking slowly on purpose so he could enjoy it as long as he could before he was by her side again. The red and yellow trail of rose petals led right to Alice's room, the door left ajar so that the flicker of candlelight was visible through the tiny space.

_Ready or not, here I come!_

The thought he'd sent into the shadows was answered by a light, tinkling laugh, beckoning to him from the other side of the door. He was inside before the candles could flicker again, not disturbing them in the slightest with his rapid movements. Here, the lack of need for any bed had produced space for an artist's table of solid oak, a matching desk for the latest model of Macintosh computers, a white loveseat, a silver lamp set upon a small corner table, and at least five crystal vases filled with freshly-cut lilies. What caught Jasper's eye the most was the handmade card resting upon the table beneath the lamp, for it carried the image of a red outline forming a heart, most likely drawn with a calligraphy pen. He lifted the card into one hand and opened it without a sound; then mentally read the handwritten message inside.

_My dearest Jazz,_

_I thank you for coming to me in my time of darkness, and walking with me to welcome my time of sunshine._

_I thank you for watching over me during our nights of danger, and unwinding with me during our days of peace._

_I thank you for always putting our family first, no matter how hard the consequences._

_And most of all…_

_I thank you for always standing between me and any threat that dared to cross my path._

_You are the love of my life, my bravest soldier, my dearest friend, my strongest protector, and my forever Valentine. I rejoice in all the days we spend together, and I look forward to all the days to come._

_Yours for Eternity,_

_Alice Cullen_

_P.S. Turn over the sketchpad._

Jasper's attention lingered over the last line, re-reading it to make sure there hadn't been any mistakes. It was a sharp turn from the rest of the message, yet he followed Alice's directions to the letter, ultimately discovering a charcoal sketch of himself standing in that same room with her right behind him. Both of her arms were wrapped gently around his broad shoulders, his left hand had strayed back to brush the side of her face, and her head was tilted down towards his ear, as though to whisper something to him.

One second later, that image became reality with the feel of her hands slipping down around his neck. The sight of their figures entwined together as one reflected back at them in the mirror, and as he allowed the sketchpad to fall to the floor, she whispered the words she had longed to say all morning.

_Happy Valentine's Day, Jasper._

In place of the fallen sketch pad, he saw a brand-new digital photo frame in his hands, the most recent images of himself and Alice displayed upon the screen in slow succession. They had spent more than fifty years together, yet their smiles never wavered and their joy remained as strong as it had been the day they met.

_Brilliant as always_, he'd complimented her, turning to give her a gentle hug. _My turn…_

One second later, the white jewelry box was in her hands, and she opened it to reveal a series of sapphires and diamonds crafted together to resemble flowers. She stood completely still as he took the necklace from the box and fastened it around her neck; then wrapped her arms around his shoulders once again as he returned her greeting.

_Happy Valentine's Day, Alice._

And just like all their celebrations of the past, both of the forever valentines thanked each other with a slow, passionate kiss.

THE END


End file.
